


Taako the Former Toymaker

by ChromaticWasp



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Brief Magnus Thirst, Candlenights, Dreams vs. Reality, F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Post-Canon, Surreal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 11:39:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17141087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChromaticWasp/pseuds/ChromaticWasp
Summary: Welcome to the North Pole. Everyone's getting ready for Candlenights in eager anticipation. Everyone's got a job here in the workshop, except for Taako, who is, at the moment, unsure of where he can help out. Will this misfit elf save Candlenights? And more importantly,Can you hear me?(A gift for thehprevolution on tumblr, who mentioned a penchant for Taako content.)





	1. Called Into the Office

Lucretia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in agonized frustration. Taako knew that expression far too well. Both of the twins did, as a matter of fact.  
“You understand why I called you two in here, right?” The Director tried (and failed) to maintain a calm, composed tone as she spoke.  
“Because you missed us?” Taako ventured.  
“No. I called you in here because this is the sixth instance of you two misusing resources in the past week of toy production. Do you understand the importance of our jobs around here? The scale of this whole outfit - the scope, all of it?”  
“Yeah, yeah, we get it. Listen, no offense, Lucretia, but I don’t need you to explain to me the difficulty of my job. I’m well aware.” Lup put her feet up on the Director’s desk.  
“Fine. Then explain it to me. Explain to me, in plain terms, what it is we do here.”  
“We make a bunch of toys every year so that good kids all over Faerun can get rewarded for their behavior.”  
“Correct. And what kind of toys do we not make for these kids?”  
“Cool ones?”  
“Dangerous ones, Lup. Putting a Narf blaster in a Jeff-in-a-box is one thing. But we can’t make toys that actually, literally blow up.”  
“It’s just a little fireworks show! It’s not like the whole thing bursts into flames. I just made it less boring.”  
“She’s right, y’know. There’s only so many times you can have a tiny Jeff Angel doll pop out at you before the whole thing kinda loses its novelty.” Taako chimed in.  
“But there’s a line! You can’t go straight from ‘vaguely bland pop-up’ to ‘live pyrotechnics’!” Lucretia was decidedly no longer chill at this point.  
“Well, there was a middle stage.”  
“Yeah, the Narf blaster. Remember the Narf blaster? That was fun, wasn’t it?” Taako prodded. “Listen, Lulu might’ve overstepped a bit on this one, but we have good ideas!”  
Lucretia’s head turned on a swivel. “Need I remind you, the Narf blaster wasn’t the paragon of safety, either. You almost took out Merle’s good eye with that first prototype.”  
She sighed, shuffling the papers on her desk.  
“Listen, I have tried really hard to be as lenient as possible with you two. But Candlenights is getting way too close for this kind of thing to continue, alright? That’s why, and I’m sorry to say this, but from now on, Lup, I’m transferring you off of toy production.”  
“What?!?” The twins rose from their chairs in mirror unison.  
“I’m transferring you to the weather department. From now on, you’ll be working with Dr. Hallwinter to ensure the flight path for Candlenights Eve will be as clean as possible.”  
“Dr. huh-what-now?” Lup cocked her head to the side.  
“Sildar? Sildar Hallwinter?”  
“Wait, I thought Barold was the guy in meteorology.” Taako’s brow furrowed.  
“Yeah, what happened to Barry?” Lup’s did the same.  
“Nothing happened to Barry. You two just started calling him that because of his...admittedly peculiar dress code.”  
“You mean to tell me that Barold J. Bluejeans’ name is actually Sildar?” Taako was incredulous.  
“Well, not around here it isn’t. I’ll give you two credit. You have a way of getting things to catch on.” Lucretia folded her arms. “Even the Big Guy calls him Barry now. I’m probably the only one who even remembers his name.”  
“There’s a lot of things that only you would bother to remember, Lucy.” Lup joked.  
Taako couldn’t place why, but for some reason, those words made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He instinctively moved his hand behind his head to cover it.  
“Is something the matter, Taako?” Lucretia’s tone carried genuine concern.  
“No, no, it just...Got kinda cold in here all of a sudden.”  
“Well, I guess that’s to be expected. After all, we do work at the North Pole. Still, I’ll ask Killian to check around my office, make sure there’s not a draft anywhere.”  
“Yeah, sure. Sounds good.” Taako’s voice was still a little far off.  
“Anyways,” Lucretia continued, “since we’re getting up on the holiday crunch, you’ll have to start filling your new capacity straight away, Lup. Report to Dr. Bluejeans at once. Shoot, did I say Bluejeans? Report to Dr. Hallwi- you know what? Just forget it. You know where you’re going.”  
“Yep. Catch you on the flipside!”  
Taako heard the door close behind her as she left. For some reason, he was still frozen in place.  
“Why don’t you sit down? I’ve been meaning to talk to you by yourself. Of course, that’s quite the task, given you and your sister are usually joined at the hip around here. But we’ve got some important business to discuss, Taako. Taako? Are you listening?”  
“Hmm? Oh. Yeah. Yes.” He sat down slowly.  
“Like I said, important business to... What’s the matter?”  
“Huh? Oh. I don’t know. It’s just that...Do you ever get the feeling that something’s...off? About all of this? The workshop, the toys, everything? I feel like I’m forgetting something, y’know? Something important. Do you ever feel that?”  
A long, uneasy silence hung in the air.  
“Nope!” Lucretia said, almost cheerily. “Not even once. Ever.”  
“Right. Yeah, it’s silly. What did you want to talk to me about?”  
“I wanted to talk about your numbers. And about a possible promotion.”  
“A whuh?”  
“Listen, you’re one of our best toymakers, Taako. I think your sister may have been a...well, not to be rude, but I think she may have been a negative influence on your productivity. You’ve proven yourself to be highly creative, hella fucking efficient, and incredibly skilled as far as toymaking is concerned. But every year, your numbers keep dropping. It’s the only thing stopping me from making you the head of the Toy Floor. But if separating you two winds up having the effect I anticipate it having, Taako, you might be in charge of the whole show. Wouldn’t that be nice?”  
“Yeah, thanks, but no thanks.”  
“What?”  
“Listen, if you wanna separate my sister and I, that’s your call to make. Here’s my call, though. Okay? Here’s Taako’s call. Read my lips. I-”


	2. Lunch Break

“You quit toymaking?” Lup was so stunned she almost choked on her lunch.  
“Yep. Looked her dead in the eyes and gave it to her straight. No bullshit. I told her, ‘I quit’, and that she was gonna have to transfer me.” Taako shrugged.  
“I thought you liked toymaking.”  
“Eh.” He waved his hand in a ‘so-so’ gesture.  
“So, where did she transfer you to?”  
“Well, I’m uh...Still trying to figure that out actually. She sent me to the bush fields first, out with Merle, and I gave that my best college try, but I kinda came to the realization that it was gonna be a no-go for me.”  
“How come?”  
“Well, don’t get me wrong, Merle, he’s a nice guy, but…But he talks to the plants.”  
“That doesn’t sound so bad.”  
“No, Lup, you don’t understand. He...Talks to the plants. Like, it’s...It’s…”  
“What, is it like, a fetish thing?”  
“It is ab-so-lute-ly a fetish thing. And I hate it. So much.”  
“Yeesh.”  
“It’s the pits. Absolute pits.” Taako just shook his head as he spoke, almost shivering to recall.  
“What about sleigh maintenance?”  
“What about it?”  
“I’m just saying - in toymaking, we were working with all these tools. Why not kick it up a notch?”  
“I dunno, Lup. Davenport’s kinda strict about the way his shop is run.”  
“How strict can he be? Avi’s been in sleigh maintenance for years now, and Avi’s usually full of an awful lot of holiday spirit, if you catch my meaning.” Lup chuckled.  
“I was actually thinking about heading out to the stables. Checking out the reindeer.”  
“And, I assume, Magnus.” There was an undeniable tone of teasing in her voice.  
“Hey, what’s a little bit of flirting among co-workers? It hasn’t killed you and Barry yet.”  
“Hey, keep your voice down. Who told you I liked Barry?”  
“Oh, nobody has to tell me anything. I know that look you give him. You’re not all that subtle.”  
“Taako, do either of us have a single subtle bone in our bodies?”  
“Fair point. So, when’s the wedding?”  
“Chill out. I don’t know if he’s even into me.”  
“Of course he is. You can cut the tension with a knife.” Taako brandished the small blade he had been using to carve chunks of apple off of the core.  
“Thanks for lunch, by the way. Delicious. As always.”  
“It’s no big deal. Just trying out a new recipe.”  
“Well, it came out great.”  
The doors to the lunchroom opened up, and the twins spun their heads around, and caught sight of an unfamiliar face.  
The woman was a bit on the shorter side, but carried herself in a way that made her seem bigger than she really was. The long, coiled locks of her dark amber hair seemed almost to bounce slightly with each stride she took. Her smile was tentative, but warm. She came in, and pulled out one of the chairs at the small, round table where the twins were seated.   
“Is it cool if I sit here? I’m a new hire.”  
“Knock yourself out. I’m Taako. This is my sister, Lup.”  
“I’m Julia. Just got hired on as workshop maintenance.”  
“Oh, so you’ve met Killian, then?” Lup raised an eyebrow.  
“Yeah, she’s been showing me the ropes. She and that one Employee Resources guy-”  
“Ah, yes, Brad Bradson.” Taako rolled his eyes.  
“Be nice to Brad.” Lup elbowed her brother.  
“What? I didn’t say anything. He’s a perfectly decent guy. He’s just...”  
“A lot?” Julia added.  
“Exactly! See? She gets it.” Taako pointed excitedly to Julia.  
“If you don’t mind me asking, what do you two do around here?” Julia looked between the two of them.  
“Start shit, mostly.” Taako shrugged.  
“Not me. My shit-starting days are over. I’ve seen the light.” Lup clasped her hands to her heart in mock solemnity.  
“She just got transferred to weather patrol. We were on the toy line until about, what, two hours ago?”  
“Damn. That’s quick.” Julia’s eyes widened.  
“Things move pret-ty fast around here. You’ll get used to it.” Lup smirked.  
“As for me, I’m kinda...in between departments, as it were. I’m not fired, I’m just kind of a...company vagrant, I guess.” Taako explained.  
The doors of the workshop’s lunchroom burst open wide, and the sound of mirthful laughter filled the air. The twins stood at attention, followed by a bewildered Julia.  
“Is that…” Her mouth hung agape.  
“Yep. Julia, this is Pan Claus.” Lup whispered.  
“Big Red himself.” Taako nodded.  
“Just popping in for a second. How’s the holiday cheer in here?” The rosy-cheeked satyr strode towards the trio.  
“Never peppier.” Lup grinned.  
“I’d say maybe like a 6.” Taako shrugged.  
“You must be Julia! It’s so nice to meet you. Lucretia’s told me so much about you.” Pan extended a hand to Julia, which she grasped in a firm handshake. “Oh! You’ve got quite a grip.”  
“Thank you, sir.”  
“How’s your first day so far?”  
“No complaints here, sir.”  
“That’s what I like to hear. Lup, Lucretia tells me you’re working with Barry.”  
Julia leaned towards Taako and whispered, “I thought the meteorology guy’s name was Sildar.”  
“I’ll explain later.”  
“Yes, it’s been a fresh new start. As much as I miss working the toy line, the change is probably for the best.”  
“And what about you, Taako?”  
“You know, it’s so funny you mention me, because I was actually just on my way to the stables. I’m thinking about helping with the reindeer, and all that.” Taako made his way to the door, slipping past the tall, looming satyr.  
“Well, just don’t give ol’ Magnus too much trouble.” Pan winked.   
Time slowed to a crawl.  
“He’s been out for hours. I think he’s sick.” Lup said.  
“Taako, can you hear me?” Pan leaned in towards Taako.  
“Try throwing some cold water on him.” Julia suggested.  
“Sorry, are we still talking about Magnus?” Taako shook his head in confusion.  
“I was just saying, don’t give him too much trouble.” Pan said before breaking out into jolly laughter.  
Taako blinked a few times, as though trying to break out of a strange fog. His stomach hurt all of a sudden.  
“You doing okay there, bro?” Lup stepped towards him.  
Taako waved her off nonchalantly. “Totally fine. Just, uh, think I ate something weird. Gotta go.”  
And with that, he ducked out of the lunchroom, trying his best to play it off. He felt something gripping his right hand. Something cold as death, intertwined between his fingers.  
He looked down, and saw nothing there.


	3. Enjoying the Show

Magnus’ shirt was tied loosely around his waist like a belt.   
Taako leaned against the doorframe quietly and watched as Magnus dug into forkfuls of hay, lifting them and setting them off to the side, grunting softly as he worked. Taako watched drops of sweat roll down Magnus’ back, glistening as the muscles in his shoulders shifted almost rhythmically.  
Taako felt his own hand drift subconsciously to his hair. His mouth hung slightly open. He twirled a long strand of hair between his fingers, spinning it again and again. He debated whether or not he should say something - let Magnus know he had been standing there, watching, but he didn’t raise his voice. He just twirled his hair and stared.  
Magnus turned around slowly, and Taako’s breath caught in his throat. He stared at Magnus’ bare chest before letting his gaze wander down along the abdomen, all muscle and hair, all shining with the sweat of hard labor.  
And then he looked up to see Magnus staring back at him.  
“Uh...Hey.” Magnus cleared his throat. He quickly untied his shirt, slipping it back on. “Sorry about that. Usually, it’s just me in here. I, uh...Didn’t hear you come in. My bad.”  
“Trust me, you’ve got nothing to apologize for.” Taako threw his hands up in the air.  
“So, what brings you down to the stables?” Magnus fumbled with the buttons of his shirt as he spoke.  
“Oh, I’m uh...switching departments. I’m not in toys anymore. Lucretia’s trying to find somewhere else to put me.”  
“So you’re coming to help out with the reindeer?”  
“Well, that’s what I’m trying to figure out. Thought I’d give it a try.”  
“Are you proficient in animal handling?”  
“Well, that’s a weird way to put it. But no, not especially.”  
“That’s okay. You can still learn.”  
“You’re proficient in animal handling?”  
“And vehicles.”  
“What does that even mean? Vehicle proficiency.”  
Magnus shrugged. “I guess, whatever I want it to mean.”  
“That doesn’t really make sense.”  
“Nope!” Magnus proclaimed cheerfully. “Anyways, I’d be more than glad to show you the kind of stuff I do around here. All the day to day work. It’s a lot of heavy lifting, lot of cleaning. Are you good for that?”  
Taako sucked a deep breath in through his teeth. “Uhhhh…”  
“I’m guessing you’re not good with that.”  
“Listen, I’m good with a lot of things. I guess I just didn’t factor in the whole thing about having to handle reindeer sh-”  
“Sure, that’s one part of the job,” Magnus said, cutting him off, “but it’s a lot more than that. A lot of it is bonding with them. If you come back here, I can introduce you to-”  
“No, no thanks. Taako’s good out here.” He stepped back towards the doorway.   
“Oh. Yeah, that’s cool.”  
As Taako stepped backwards, he bumped into someone. “Oh, sorry, I-”  
He turned around to face Julia.  
“No, no, it’s my bad.” She reassured him.   
“What brings you here, Jules?”  
“I just wanted to see the reindeer.”  
“Well, you came to the right place.” Magnus called from inside.  
Julia stepped past Taako, into the doorway. “I’m Julia.”  
“I’m Magnus.”  
“Magnus. I like that name.”  
The two stared into each other’s eyes for a few seconds. Taako felt a shift in the air, but this time it wasn’t cold.  
It was something warm, and electric.  
“Well, I’m gonna bounce. You kids have fun.” Taako awkwardly shaped his hands into finger guns.  
“Yeah.” Magnus’ voice was a little far off. “See ya.”  
Now Taako was the one pinching the bridge of his nose. “Idiot.” He muttered under his breath as he walked away, directed at no one but himself.


	4. A Very Long Hallway

“I’ve come to a conclusion. Lucretia can separate me from my sister. Everyone else can run around, falling in love, making dumb, stupid friendships and being good at their jobs. And I’ll be fine. You know why? Because all I need is you. You’re the only one around here who gets it. You’ve got my back, no matter what, right?” He took a deep breath, and sighed in exasperation as he continued to forge down the long hallway. “Gotta stop talking to myself. It’s gonna get real weird, real quick.”  
He turned his head to the right, saw a door labeled “METEOROLOGY”. Through the window, he watched Lup and Barry poring over charts. He watched as Barry pointed to something on a map, his arm reaching around her shoulder in the process. Lup turned her head, and they were inches from each other’s faces. After a moment of mutual realization, Lup leaned in and kissed him.  
“Gonna try to forget seeing that.” Taako murmured as he walked further down the hall.  
On his left, there was a door labelled “CAROL COMPOSITION”. A piece of paper was taped to the window.  
“genius in progress. do not disturb. -j”  
Inside, through the window, Taako could see Johann lying on the floor, curled up in the fetal position. Taako waited to see if Johann would move. Johnna remained motionless.   
Taako reached for the doorknob, weighing whether to go inside and check on him.  
He looked back at the paper in the window.  
“I mean...I guess that might be genius? Probably best to just leave him alone. And I’m talking to myself again. Ugh.”  
Taako continued to press forward, staring down at his feet as he walked. He heard the sound of a door opening nearby, then, without thinking, felt himself collide into something.  
Or, rather, someone.  
As he made a mental note to watch where he was going, he watched a flurry of papers scatter to the ground.  
“I’m terribly sorry.” The other man said, scrambling down on his hands and knees to pick them up. Taako didn’t recognize the voice. Another new hire?  
“Here, I’ll help you with that.” Taako knelt down and started picking up papers.  
On each paper was a child’s name, picture, and some basic information about them. Each were stamped in red ink, mostly the word “NICE”, but Taako saw one or two that were stamped with the word “NAUGHTY”. So these must be The List.  
He looked at the door the other man had come through, still hanging slightly open. Sure enough, the sign on the door read “LIST APPRAISAL”.  
One paper caught Taako’s eye - it was covered in smiling stickers. The stamp said “NICEST BOY”, and the words “DESERVES THE WORLD” were scrawled next to his picture in black ink. He didn’t read too much of the kid’s file, but he caught the name “ANGUS MCDONALD” in the box at the top.  
Taako scooped up the stack of papers and looked up. He found himself face to face with this strange man, barely a bit of space between them. Taako stared into his eyes - dark and wise beyond time. Taako took stock of the man in front of him.  
Short, well-manicured beard. Dark hair in long braids framing a face that had almost unnaturally sharp features.   
It wasn’t until Taako felt the other man’s breath on his face that it dawned on him just how close they were in that moment. A cool, gentle rush of air. His hair stood on end.  
“Um…” The other man said.  
“Uh…” Taako replied.  
They both chuckled and leaned back a bit. Here the two of them were, just sitting on the floor. Taako couldn’t take his eyes away, but he extended his hand, offering the papers back to him.  
“Here.”  
As the other man took the papers, their hands brushed against each other. His was icy cold.  
Taako wanted to hold it anyways.  
“Thanks. Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going.”  
“Hey, it takes two to make a crash like that.”  
“I suppose that's true. My name is Kravitz.”  
“Taako. I don't think I've seen you before. Are you new here?”  
“It's my second week. But I'm usually cooped up in the office there.” Kravitz gestured with his thumb to the door a few feet away. “So I'm not surprised that we haven't seen each other yet. Not a lot of break time, you know? Making the list, checking it twice. We’ve got to be pretty exact about it all.”  
“I've always wondered how you do it. How do you determine nice from naughty?”  
“Magic. There's an old spell - lost to the sands of time. It's called ‘Detect Alignment’. You won't find it in any spellbooks from the past 600 years, but it lets you see whether someone lives their life by good or evil intentions. Still, it's not a perfect system. There's a reason people don't use it anymore. Which is why we go back through, one by one, and double-check everything.”  
“Cool.”  
“What about you? What do you do?”  
“I'm trying to figure that out, actually. I was a toymaker, but that didn't shake out so well. So, I guess, at the moment, I'm just me.”  
“That's a good way to look at it. But it’s not exactly usual for someone to be employed at an organization without actually having a job.”  
“What can I say - the Director’s got a soft spot for me.”  
“I’m beginning to understand why.” Kravitz smiled warmly.  
“Do you ever get a feeling like...Like you’ve been somewhere before?” Taako’s brow was knit with concern.  
“Like deja vu?”  
“Yeah. Deja vu. And I can’t figure out what it is, but I’ve been getting that kind of feeling all day. It’s somewhere between deja vu and the feeling you’d have if you walked into your house and someone moved all the furniture by like, an inch or two. I feel like I’m losing it.”  
“Strange.” Kravitz mused. “I wish I could help you.”  
“Maybe you can.”  
“What do you mean?”  
Taako didn’t respond. He just locked eyes with Kravitz, watching as something in Kravitz’s face shifted.  
“Oh.” Kravitz spoke, almost breathlessly. “I think I know what you mean.”  
The two leaned in towards one another, closer and closer.   
Kravitz’s hands went over his mouth, as if moving on their own.  
“Why did I do that?” He asked as he lowered them.  
“Because of what came next.” Taako leaned in and kissed him.  
And their world came apart. Taako recalled a risen city of ash. Glass and sapphire. Taako remembered a kiss just like this one.  
Taako remembered something else.


	5. He Meant That, Too

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter gets kinda trippy, so bear with me.

Taako remembered walking in a garden. Rare plants. One he hadn’t seen before. He remembered his hand grazing a thorn.

Taako remembered a conversation from long before that.  
“I’d say, being buried alive, probably.” Merle had said.  
“Fire.” Magnus said. “For personal reasons.”  
“Being poisoned.” Taako had said. “Also for personal reasons.”

Taako remembered clutching his hand, watching a drop of blood form on his finger. He stared at the plant. He cut one flower, took it with him. He would ask Merle to look at it once he got back to the Bureau.

Taako remembered feeling tired. He remembered feeling afraid. And then more tired. Then, more afraid. He was sick. He was poisoned. What was that flower?

He didn’t remember falling asleep. He didn’t remember his memories changing, not at the hands of the Voidfish this time. Like a drop of blood, his life fell out through a cut left from the prick of a strange thorn. Like venom, an odd holiday world spread through, expanding and taking hold of Taako.

The world knit itself back together, and Taako and Kravitz sat together in the hallway, in mutual shock.  
“It didn’t work. He’s still asleep.” A disembodied voice spoke.  
“But I saw something.” Kravitz was still looking at Taako, but he was not speaking to Taako. “A dream. He’s dreaming.”  
“Who?” Taako asked him. “Krav, who’s dreaming?”  
Kravitz’s hands were on Taako’s shoulders. “We’re figuring it out. Okay, Taako? Just hold on.”  
Kravitz stood up, and ran back down the hallway.  
“Wait!” Taako shouted.  
But Kravitz was already gone.  
“I’m dreaming.” Taako murmured to himself. “This is a dream.”  
He pinched his arm. He felt the pain. Taako didn’t dream, even on the rare occasions where he could sleep, but he knew it wasn’t supposed to hurt.  
“Poison. Magical poison. Magical poison fever dream.” He was crunching the numbers as he spoke. “Weird magical poison fever dream where we all work for Santa Claus. Right. I was looking for a rare ingredient. For a new kind of…”  
He heard a gruff voice humming a holiday song. He smelled butter and sugar, light on the air. He followed his sense, and they led him to the kitchen’s workshop, where Klaarg was hard at work mixing up desserts for Candlenights.  
Taako remembered stopping by this kitchen often here in the workshop, when he wasn’t making toys.  
He reminded himself that none of that was real. That this whole holiday cheer thing was a deadly trap meant to keep him asleep. A world where they never had to fight monsters, watch entire universes consumed. A world where Taako had never been separated from Lup, where he had never been betrayed by Sazed. A world where it was always Candlenights, and nothing had ever gone wrong. It was a clever trick, he had to admit.  
“Hey, Klaarg.” Taako’s voice was disinterested and flat. He was done pretending.  
Klaarg looked up at him. “Hey, Taako! What brings you-”  
“Save it, not-Klaarg. I figured out the punchline already. I know what’s happening, and I don’t care.”  
Not-Klaarg ran out of the kitchen quickly. Taako realized he wouldn’t have much time now. He locked the kitchen door, and barricaded it. He gathered all the ingredients he needed for macaroons.  
They were pounding on the door now. Taako wouldn’t have time to bake them. The idea of using magic to speed up the process sickened him.  
He pushed that feeling down. Pushed down the memory of death, of old poison, pressed on by the fear of the psychic poison that was in him as he spoke.  
“Lucretia separated us here, too. You made my perfect world, but we got separated here, too.”   
He plated the macaroons.  
“There are some things you can’t forget twice, I guess. That’s why I know this has to work. I’m going home now.”  
He stood, with a plate of cookies in his hands, and watched as the door broke down in splinters.  
Pan stood there. Taako watched as Pan’s limbs extended, and his face grew strange and horrible. Taako watched as the jolly Pan Claus transformed into a huge, terrifying monster.  
“I’m not here for a fight.” Taako shook his head. “I’ll leave those to Magnus.”  
He slid along the floor, between the monster’s many, many legs, and started running down the hallway, pursued by a giant monster.  
“Could I just have one chill Candlenights? Just one. I don’t ask for a lot.”  
He felt the giant monster gaining on him. He didn’t look back, but he knew it was coming for him.  
He saw Lucretia’s office at the end of the hall.  
He burst through the door, and held out the macaroons to her.  
“Listen to me.”

Lucretia, Kravitz, Magnus, Merle, Barry, and Lup stood around Taako as he laid on the infirmary bed in the Bureau of Benevolence headquarters.  
“What if he doesn’t wake up?” Merle was genuinely scared by the thought.  
“He has to.” Magnus protested. “C’mon, Taako, you can do this?”  
“You’re sure we can’t find a cure, Merle?” Lup had been pacing the floor restlessly.  
“Checked every book on plants I could find. Nothing about a cure.” Merle shook his head sadly.  
“Can you imagine? Taako helps save the whole world, and then gets done in by a flower.” Barry intended it as a joke, but couldn’t bring himself to make it sound funny.  
The room fell silent.  
“Listen to me.”  
“He’s talking again.” Kravitz leaned down towards Taako. “What is it?”  
“Lucretia.” Taako spoke groggily. “Listen to me.”  
Lucretia felt tears well up in her eyes.

“I’m here. What is it?” Lucretia said, still sitting at her desk.  
Taako laid the plate of cookies down in front of her. “I still haven’t forgiven you for splitting us up. I don’t know if I can, but I’m willing to try. But I want you to consider us one step closer. This is a peace offering.” He gestured to the macaroons.  
Lucretia pulled one off the plate. They were still warm. She took a bite.  
“Hot diggedy sh-”

Taako’s eyes snapped open.   
He was back in the Bureau. Finally.  
“God! Don’t scare us like that again.” Lup pulled her brother into a deep hug.  
“I had the strangest dream.” Taako looked around at everyone. “You were there. And you were there. And you, and you, and you, and-” he looked at Lucretia. She was crying.  
“...And you heard what I said just now, huh?”  
She nodded.  
“I meant it.”  
“I know. Happy Candlenights, Taako.”  
“Yeah. Happy Candlenights.”  
He meant that, too.


End file.
